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Ombudspersons

The ombudsperson deals with problems and complaints from students, doctoral students and teaching assistants.  It also mediates, advises and informs.

At the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, the following people take up the role of ombudsperson:

For students in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes:

Engineering studies

Mia Loccufier
Bart Dhoedt (substitute)

Engineering studies: architecture, urbanism and spatial planning

Maarten Van Den Driessche
Maarten Liefooghe (substitute)

Engineering technology studies (campus Schoonmeersen)

Helga Naessens
Tanja Van Hecke (substitute)

Engineering technology studies (campus Kortrijk)

Eric Laermans
Steve Dereyne (substitute)

For PhD students:

Guy De Tré en Femke De Backere
Peter Troch (substitute)

Role?

The ombudsperson receives, investigates and handles complaints, and acts as mediator in disputes.

The ombudspersons offer complete discretion and will never do anything without your permission.  They will obviously seek a solution that is in the interest of all the parties involved (student, professor, teaching assistant, fellow students, ...). You can contact the ombudspersons in the following cases (not exhaustive):

  • You have a complaint regarding the lessons, exercises, tutorials, syllabuses, examinations, examination arrangements, other practical arrangements, … which, for some reason or other, you cannot discuss directly with the party involved (professor, teacher, teaching assistant, ...), even though you have reasonable grounds for requesting a solution.
  • There is a dispute between yourself and a professor or teaching assistant that fails to get resolved, and you require independent mediation.
  • You feel disadvantaged in your rights as a student.
  • You want your rights and duties as a student, your study programme, … explained.
  • You would like to know what to do in the event of illness, absence, unforeseen circumstances, change of programme, dropping out, …
  • You just wish to vent your frustration or express your anger.

How to contact the ombudspersons?

  • Contact the ombudsperson of your choice by telephone, e-mail or just pop round.
  • Explain briefly why you want help.  Give them your contact details.
  • The ombudsperson will get back to you as soon as possible.
  • In some cases, they will already be able to give you the solution, the information or the piece of advice.
  • In other cases, they will invite you for a visit to take a closer look at the problem, when they will explain what can be done.
  • During examination time and immediately after the examination results have been announced, the ombudspersons are available for advice or a word of explanation.
  • If, in your opinion, your complaint or problem has not been properly addressed, you can also contact the institutional ombudsman.
  • Only you can consult the ombudspersons.  Nobody can do this for you.